As you get to know your herbs, you may find some surprising uses that are not written up in the herb books and materia medicas.

If you have used mullein, you probably know that it is know for loosening things especially in the respiratory tract which is why it is often included in remedies for colds and coughs.

It is also a mild nervine which means that it acts and calms the nervous system.

Well, I’ve had a super busy stretch. Stress and not sleeping well has resulted in a tense muscle in my shoulder/neck that is causing me jaw pain.

Mullein is not your go to herb for muscle tension or pain. But as I have used and gotten to know this herb, I know that it loosens and speaks to my nervous system. So I know from past experimentation that if I apply it to my shoulder, neck, and jaw that it will help the tension and pain.

I have been applying it several times a day this last week, and the muscle generally stays much looser and doesn’t hurt any more. It still feels tight in some places but I’ll keep working on it.

For now though, I’m glad to have a remedy that I can rely on that helps me keep going, even if I am using it “outside the box.”

Pine, which is good for respiratory issues, also addresses pain, and frankincense which is resinous like pine is excellent at keeping muscles loose. Do you see a pattern there? Two of those herbs – pine resin and frankincense, are hard as rocks in their natural state, but they help loosen things.

Sometimes herbs reflect and look like the conditions God made them to heal. Isn’t it nice of Him to give us little clues like that?

And don’t forget to apply your herbs topically – even tinctures. I think our pill popping culture gives us the mistaken idea that medicine (whether herbal or conventional) has to be taken internally to be effective. They don’t. Rub them on. They will soak in and do their job just as well.

What herb would you like to know more about? Let me know in the comments.